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What Future for Rubber Production in Myanmar?

South
East Asia has experienced a rapid growth in the production of natural rubber
over the past decade. With demand set to outstrip supply by around 10 per cent
by 2020, the industry is expanding to new territories. Myanmar is the latest
target for the rubber industry, but instead of the government promoting
much-needed investment in small-holder rubber farmers, private companies have
been given priority to buy up large swathes of land for plantations.

Foreign
investment in Myanmar is increasing with the political reform process, but as
Myanmar becomes more locked-in to global markets, intensification of
agricultural investment promoted on such a large-scale could lead to a surge of
foreign investment in land, bringing the same negative impacts to Myanmar that
it has elsewhere. This could not only destroy one of the most important
remaining ecosystems in the world but harm an already vulnerable population.

Land
deals don’t need to happen this way – there’s significant evidence to show that
investing and supporting smallholder farmers brings lasting economic, social
and environmental benefits.

This
briefing paper highlights the benefits of investing in small-scale rubber
production and makes recommendations for the Government of Myanmar as to how
best support and protect its farmers, including the establishment of a strong
national land policy.